Teddy Bear
by Dancingchocolatesmudge
Summary: Natalia Castellan- always in the shadow of her brother, so much she was never mentioned. How do you think she felt during the war? A series of three one-shots from some important times- when Luke leaves, when he dies, their mum. This is for mrslukecastellan's competition, based off her story "In His Shadow". Promise I will go back to my other stories once this is over, don't worry.
1. The Leaving

**Hey Guys! Just so you know, this is for mrslukecastellan's competition! This is one of three chapters- so PLEASE stick around! So, the main character (Natalia) is Luke Castellan's sister- if you want to know more, go check out her story, "In his shadow". So this is playing a little off what happened in her life, and I BADLY wanna win this competition! As soon as I've written this, I'll go back to my other stories- promise! Please review and tell me what you think. **

Little Natalia scampered through the hall and down the stairs, slipping in her haste to get down. She'd had a bad dream- the worst she could possibly have. In it she saw her mother in another fit, wailing and screeching, clutching onto Natalia- but this time, Luke wasn't there to help her. Natalia shuddered- she was afraid of her mother, especially when she went into a green-eyed fit. Natalia had no idea how that had ever been brought on, only that it scared her to no ends.

Natalia slowed down slightly- she began to hear noises, screams muffled by the door between the hall and the room. Clutching onto her rumpled teddy, she strained on her tip-toes to reach the door knob, her hand slipping off the surface of the metal. She grew increasingly agitated, so she climbed a near-by shelf to get closer. When she finally got a grip, she opened it slowly. She let her legs hang off the edge, sliding off the shelf slowly, her footsteps muffled by the carpet. The muffled shouts had gotten louder, and she pushed her head through the small crack to see better.

She recognised two of the people immediately- her mother sat, wailing, at the table, clutching her head as if it were about to explode. With a chill, she saw her eyes were bright green. Then she saw her dear brother Luke, his face livid as he yelled at a tall man standing in the centre of the room. Natalia furrowed her eyebrows- who was this man? He shared the same sandy blonde hair and bright blue eyes as Luke and herself, and even his expression was similar to Luke's.

Natalia only caught snippets of the conversation, and strained her little ears to hear them. "-Luke, I told you! It's hard for us to visit our children- Zeus hates it, he forbids adults to visit their kids! Why can't you just-" "Understand? I understand perfectly! You don't come at all to help us- do you know how hard it is to live with mum? No, dad, you don't understand!" Dad? Was this Natalia's father, the one she had never met? Luke had always been resentful towards him, but Natalia hadn't been aware he had existed. Of course, she hadn't understood- she was, after all, only four.

Natalia wondered why Luke was so angry- shouldn't he be happy? He hadn't seen his father since he was a baby, or so he told her. Luke and her father continued to argue, and Natalia's eyes swept the rest of the room- she spotted a smashed photo frame, and a little hydra doll with one of its heads torn off. She also spotted a small ruck sack- was Luke going somewhere? Of course he wasn't- he wouldn't go anywhere without her, would he?

"You know what dad? I quit! I'm leaving! You have no idea how hard it is to live with her, _and_Natalia! I hope you look after her better than you did with me!" Natalia's eyes snapped up as Luke swept up his bag and stalked out the door, his face angry and determined. "Luke! Don't, you're only-" His voice was cut off my the slam of the front door. "-Nine." The man sighed dejectedly.

He ran a hand through his hair, and something in his pocket buzzed. He sighed again, muttering "Not now, Martha." May Castellan, Natalia's mother, blinked her large eyes a few times, as if not processing what had just happened. "Luke?" She asked, her eyes betraying her fragility. The man sighed and sat down beside her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. Her mother burst into loud tears and howls. "Not my son! Horrible fate!" "I know, May, I know."

Natalia furrowed her eyebrows in confusion- what had happened? Did Luke really just leave her alone with her mother? She thought Luke loved her- after all, they were siblings. It slowly dawned on her, just as it had with May. She couldn't stay- she wouldn't survive with her mother being the only person to look after her. She was only four! She jumped up, stumbling back up the stairs, sobbing hysterically. She flung herself onto her bed, not realising she had left the small teddy discarded on the stairs.

**Well, that's this one over! Please please PLEASE review and tell me what you think- this was for mrslukecastellan's competition, go check her out 'cause she's AWESOME! Also, big news: I'M A BETA! WOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOO! **

**Okay, thanks! Read and review!**

**~Smudge **


	2. May Castellan

**Chapter two of three- woohoo! I hope you guys like this and review- please? I like reviews! Anyway, in case you were wondering, this is officially 5 years later- Luke would be 14 and Natalia 9. If we were going by the books, Annabeth would be 7, but she's not here. **

Five years had passed, and so far, Natalia doubted Luke would ever come back. She'd spent the first year waiting, waiting, but after that one year she lost faith. It was hard to look after herself- her mother occupied the kitchen constantly, making sandwiches and cool-aid, which made it easier for Natalia to eat, but she was still constantly ridden with fits. She would grip Natalia's shoulders, yelling into her face with those insane eyes of hers, always yelling for Luke. It was almost as though she didn't care that Natalia was her daughter, that Luke was the only one that mattered.

And not once, ever, had Natalia's father returned. She'd only ever seen him once, the night Luke ran away, and she couldn't help but wonder why he never came to see her. She knew how Luke had felt now- discarded, ignored. Her own mother didn't even care about her- she only cared about Luke. Of course, this was tough knowledge for a nine-year-old. She couldn't keep waiting for Luke to come back and save her- not anymore. She'd waited five years; she wasn't going to wait any longer.

She already had a packed bag laying on her bed, filled with anything and everything a nine-year-old would want- cookies, cool-aid and sandwiches salvaged from the mess in the kitchen, a bunch of clothes and shoes. Countless discarded clothes and items littered the floor, objects she just couldn't fit in the bag. She shoved the items she couldn't bear to leave behind into the bag, shoving a piece of honey-blonde hair behind her ear. She turned and scanned the room for the final object, her most treasured item, and- wait, where was it? She scanned the room frantically, heart beating painfully in her chest- she had been planning to climb from the window, to avoid her mother, but if it wasn't here…. No, it _had _to be here.

She tore the room up searching, shoving items aside, until she gave up with a sigh and flopped onto her bed. Not the teddy- of all things she could possibly have left in the living room, it had to be the one she couldn't bear to leave. The small teddy, with its matted fur and beetle-black eyes, was her oldest possession. When she had been very young, she and Luke had wandered through the town, telling whoever asked them where their parents were that they were simply in the shop. Natalia had seen a teddy, but neither had enough money to buy it, and she had been so heartbroken that Luke had gotten it for her. She supposed he had stolen it- she found he did that often.

Natalia creaked open the door and began to creep her way down the stairs, thanking the Gods that the floor was carpeted. She could hear her mother humming absently in the kitchen, and she spotted the teddy lying on its side on the tiled floor near her couch. Taking a deep breath, she reached for it, so close she could touch it- And that was when her mother began to wail.

Alarmed, Natalia looked up. May Castellan was shrieking, clutching her tufty blonde hair, her eyes glowing green. Natalia grabbed the little bear to her chest, stumbling backwards to the staircase as her mother set her sights on her. "Not my son!" She cried in anguish. "Terrible fate!" She stumbled forward to Natalia, causing her to trip backwards onto the cold tiles, and gripped her daughter's shoulders with her claw-like hands. "I told him! Too young for such a fate! Bringing Hermes' name to fallen grace!" Natalia shook, both with fear and by her mother's hands. Her mother's fits had plagued her since she was a child, even more since Luke's leaving.

She felt tears stinging her eyes as she looked up at her mother's anguished face, convinced that she would never be able to escape. Then the door swung open, and her mother whipped around and faced the door, her entire demeanour changing.

"Luke!"

As soon as May let go, Natalia scrambled up the stairs, hiding behind the door frame and staring at who had just entered the room. It couldn't be- it was! Luke had returned! He seemed so older, his hair slightly longer, his body leaner. And there was a scar, a long white thing stretching from the corner of his eye down the side of his face. Her mother scuttled forward to embrace him, but he pushed her away, spotting Natalia staring at him. He beckoned for her to come, looking nervously at his mother several times.  
"Come, Nat, I need to talk to you."

"I'm sorry I left, I just had to get away Nat. I couldn't take it anymore."

Luke had taken Natalia to a small café, and the two sat in a small wall cubicle, drinking hot chocolates. He ran his hand nervously into his hair, and Natalia stared at him speculatively. "You left because you couldn't take it anymore, but you didn't take me?" He sighed and shook his head. "Nat, you were too young to understand, you-""I what, Luke? Of course I didn't understand, I was five! FIVE! And yet you go, and you leave me with _her!_ At least she cared for you Luke!" "Nat, you don't understand, it's just that you're too young and-""Too young? I'm the same age as you were when you _left!_"

Luke sighed again and shook his head. "Nat, dad contacted me, okay? I found out why he never came to see us, and to be honest, his reasons weren't too good." He laughed bitterly. "So I left- I needed time to think, and it was hard to think with her around. I made some friends, Nat, and now I have a proper place to actually learn things!" Now Nat was confused- a school? There were plenty of schools around, even though their mother couldn't pay for them to go. She must have voiced her confusion, because Luke laughed again.

"No, Nat, a camp. I could take you there, when you're older, but I think you've gone through too much now to be able to go and not hurt yourself. Maybe when you're my age." "Why not now?" she wined, and Luke laughed (with humour this time) and ruffled her hair. "Because, Nat, I didn't get to the camp until last year, and it's too dangerous for somebody you're age without as much experience. Trust me, even though my friend Annabeth is arouns your age, seven actually, she's been through a lot more. And Thalia- well, she was older than me and she couldn't cope…" He sighed. "Just promise me you won't try to leave or anything, you could hurt yourself badly. Things will get better, I…. I promise."

Luke was lost in thought now, but over what Nat couldn't understand. She grumbled 'sure' and he was brought back to reality, tugging on her arm and dragging her up. Come on, Nat, we should go back home now." Natalia winced, and Luke laughed. "Do I have to?"

Natalia re-entered her home, hearing her mother babbling- Luke wasn't coming, he didn't like it here, though he said he would visit. Clicking the door shut, she crept slowly through the kitchen, but her mother still caught glance of her and smiled absently. "My brilliant boy came back, I told them. I'll be ready for next time. And you Natalia, you'll be brilliant too, someday."

Natalia pretty much fled the rest of the way to her room- she realised with clarity that that had been the first time May Castellan had ever said her name aloud.

**You know the drill- read and review please!**

**~Smudge**


	3. Authors Note

**Hey guys! So, I have one thing to say: I AM INCREDIBLY SORRY!**

**I have been working on the chapter that needs to be posted here for forever, and I was gonna post it when BAM- my USB (with all my documents on it) stopped working! I had no time to fix it because I was on a holiday, and didn't have my computer, and I am incredibly sorry!**

**I'm taking it to get fixed soon, I was just busy because school is starting soon, and I feel really bad. I honestly feel like I've failed you guys! SO as soon as it's fixed, I'll upload as soon as possible! **

**Thanks to all who've supported me during this time, and I know you guys always wait for a while, but I really am sorry! So I'll get it fixed and post, love you all!**

**INCREDIBLY SORRY, **

**Smudge xxx**


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